Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) has been used as a valuable tool since the publication of initial guidance in 2006. Now, ten years on, an update to this guidance has been published by the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).
Ecosulis are now offering a Pioneering Pre-Acquisition Rapid Risk Assessment to allow an initial ecological site assessment to be made at the pre-acquisition stage. Ecology can have timing constraints and constraints to layouts, especially where notable habitats or protected species are present. There are too many projects where ecological consultants are brought in at a late stage when the layout has been fixed, and as a result it can be difficult and expensive to change the layout to accommodate ecological mitigation.
One of the main sources of this renewable energy will be from wind turbines, and extensive research has been undertaken to assess the impacts of wind farms on wildlife, particularly bird species. Another source of renewable energy currently under development is wave and tidal energy. Awareness of impacts on seabirds as a result of these schemes are not so widely publicised, and limited research has been undertaken to assess the impacts of these schemes of the UK’s seabird populations.